No joy in Vancouverville, Canucks strike out against Bruins in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
There’s no joy in Vancouverville, or Nelsonville, or Castlegarville or, for that matter, Ymirville.
The mighty Vancouver Canucks have struck out.
Once again timely scoring, combined with another Conn Smythe-like performance of Tim Thomas, powered the Boston Bruins to a convincing 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final Wednesday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
It’s the Bruins first Cup win in 39 years, since 1972, and spoiled one heck of a party in Vancouver as more than 100,000 fans packed the streets outside Rogers Arena to witness the game.
Those fans did not take the loss lightly as festivities went from bad to worse — á la the riots after the Canucks Cup final loss in 1994 — when cars were set on fire, fans began fighting, Bruins fans were attacked and scores of windows were broken.
Back to the game: Tim Thomas was the difference.
Vancouver had chances but couldn’t score.
Boston had chances and did score with timely goals on Roberto Luongo.
“This is so incredible that it hasn’t set in for me yet,” Tim Thomas, the 37-year-old who made 37 saves to post the shutout, told Hockey Night in Canada from ice level.
“No words can explain … No words can explain why everything (good) has happened to me in Vancouver,” said Vancouver native Milan Lucic.
Patrice Bergeron, with his first of two in the contest, scored the only goal Thomas would need to seal the win with five minutes remaining in the first period, beating Luongo from close range as the puck trickled in off the far post.
Brad Marchand, who also had two in the game, made it 2-0 on a wrap around before Bergeron put a dagger through the hearts of the Canucks with a short handed tally.
Similar to a crazy bounce that went right to Canuck defenceman Kevin Bieksa for the series-clinching goal against San Jose, a crazier bounce off the glass past Christina Ehrhoff sprang Bergeron on the breakaway.
While being hauled down by Ehrhoff, the puck bounced off Bergeron past Luongo.
Marchand scored into an empty net after Vancouver pulled Luongo with just under three minutes remaining in the game.
Vancouver out shot the Bruins in every period, finishing with a 37-21 advantage.
STANLEY CUP NOTES:
- The team to score first in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final won every game.
- At 37 years old, Tim Thomas is the oldest ever winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the MVP of the finals.
- Boston dropped the first two games in Vancouver but became just the third team since 1966 to overcome that deficit. Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2009, is the last team to win the Cup after going down 0-2.
- This will be the 16th time that the finals have gone to a game seven. In the previous 15 the home team is 12-3.
- The Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 three times in the same postseason.
- Despite making the trip, Bruins forward Nathan Horton didn’t suit up for the game. He did put on skates to join his teammates for the Stanley Cup celebration after the game. Horton also poured Boston Garden ice water onto the ice at Rogers Arena before the game in attempt to bring the home-ice advantage from T.D. Gardens to Vancouver.
- The Canucks’ Mason Raymond, injured early in Game 6, was also in the building. He received a large ovation from Canucks fans when showed on the video scoreboard in the first period.
- Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined for five points in the Stanley Cup Finals.
- Boston outscored Vancouver in the series 23-8. Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas each posted a pair of shutouts in the series.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
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